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The state Department of Environmental Protection issued the Scott Twp. Sewer Authority a notice of violation after an inspector verified odors outside a township pump station's property.

The DEP has asked sewer authority officials to attend an enforcement conference set for 10 a.m. on Aug. 14 in Wilkes-Barre to discuss the violations and steps to avoid future problems, a letter provided by the DEP said.

The department has yet to determine if a fine is appropriate, DEP spokeswoman Colleen Connolly said.

The DEP also sent the authority a notice of violation on April 25 for "similar violations," the letter said.

"We certainly want to know what's going on here," she said. "If they ignored something we recommended, they could be possibly looking at fines."

Triggered by complaints of malodorous emissions, a DEP representative inspected the area near pump station 8, off Green Grove Road, on July 8, the letter said.

The letter, dated July 18, defines malodor as "any odor which causes annoyance or discomfort to the public."

According to DEP regulations, "No person shall cause, suffer or permit the emission" of malodorous air contaminants into the outdoor atmosphere "in such a manner that they are detectable outside the (source) property."

By failing to comply with the regulations, the authority is subject to enforcement action, including civil penalty assessment, the letter said.

Scott Twp. Supervisor and Sewer Authority member Michael Giannetta said officials have been using pump station 8 as an "experimental station" - identifying what measures curtail the stink before installing them at all pump stations.

The odor problem has been a source of frustration since contractors installed the five pump stations in 2011.

An underground pipe solution installed at most stations in February helped to reduce the smell, but odor continued to leak through the vaults' doors, Mr. Giannetta said.

Officials recently sealed the doors with silicone caulking, but that's only a temporary solution as "We have to rip it open to get in the vault for maintenance work," he said.

Mr. Giannetta said the authority's engineer is designing a removable lid to "clamp" over the top of the vault, preventing air from escaping while also allowing workers to get inside when needed.

"The only other option is some kind of chemical treatment, and that will be expensive and require us to raise the sewer rates," he said. "We have been trying to avoid that at all costs."

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